Top 25 Philly sports stories from 2013

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Eagles: Dec. 31/Jan. 16

Andy Reid (left) was fired on New Year's Eve 2012 after 14 years as the head coach of the Eagles. He left with a 130-93-1 record. Two and a half weeks later, the Eagles hired former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly as the team's next head coach.

Eagles: July 27

On July 27, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin suffered a season-ending ACL tear in training camp. It marked the third time in his five years with the team that Maclin endured an injury or illness in training camp.

Eagles: Sept. 9

Chip Kelly's NFL debut -- and his offense -- started with a bang. The Eagles scored 26 first-half points and compiled 263 rushing yards in a Week 1 victory over the Redskins. It was the first time the Birds reached 260 yards rushing in a game since Nov. 15, 2010.

Eagles: Nov. 3

Eagles: Dec. 8

The game began slowly because of limited visibility, but the Eagles were able to fight off eight inches of snow and an eight-point deficit with 28 fourth-quarter points in Week 14 against the Lions for a 34-20 comeback victory, their fourth win in a row.

Phillies: Aug. 7

2013 was Chase Utley's most productive season since 2009: he batted .284/.348./475, hit 18 home runs and drove in 69 runs. So the franchise second baseman was rewarded with a two-year, $27 million contract extension at the beginning of August.

Phillies: Aug. 16

On Aug. 16, four days after his 1,000th career win, the Phillies fired manager Charlie Manuel. He finished his Philadelphia managerial career with a 780-636 record, two NL pennants and the 2008 World Series title to his legacy.

Phillies: Aug. 30

On Aug. 30, more than a month after rumblings surfaced, the Phillies announced the signing of Cuban national pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez to a three-year, $12 million deal. The team hopes to see Gonzalez in the 2014 rotation.

Phillies: Nov. 12

He began his career in Philadelphia, and in mid-November free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd signed a two-year, $16 million deal to return. Byrd hit .291/.336/.511 with 24 home runs and 88 RBIs with the Mets and Pirates in 2013.

Sixers: April 18

After two consecutive playoff seasons, the 2012-13 Sixers took a major step backward with a 34-48 record, resulting in head coach Doug Collins resigning. He had a .456 winning percentage in his three years.

Sixers: May 14

The Sixers began to lay a new groundwork by hiring Sam Hinkie, the Houston Rockets' former VP, as the franchise's new president and general manager. In his eight years with Houston, Hinkie was well known for his implementation of analytics.

Sixers: July 12

In an offseason shocker, the Sixers traded franchise point guard Jrue Holiday (right) to the New Orleans Pelicans for the rights to No. 6 overall pick Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick. Noel played 24 games for Kentucky in 2012-13 before tearing his ACL. Noel has yet to play for the Sixers. The team also drafted Michael Carter-Williams out of Syracuse.

Sixers: Aug. 14

Sixers: Oct. 30-Nov. 2

The Sixers spurned the idea of intentionally tanking for a good draft pick by starting the 2013-14 season 3-0, including a season-opening win over the defending NBA champion Miami Heat at the Wells Fargo Center.

Sixers: Dec. 3

On Dec. 3, rookie point guard sensation Michael Carter-Williams recorded his first career triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 126-125 overtime win over Orlando. It was the first triple-double by a Sixer since March 23, 2005.

Flyers: Jan. 6

The third lockout in 17 years, which began in mid-September, finally came to a merciful close in the first week of the new year. It took 119 days and 34 games were lost from the season. The league played a shortened, 48-game season.

Flyers: June 20, 25

In five days, two significant eras in Flyers hockey came to an end when the team bought out the contracts of Danny Briere (left) and Ilya Bryzgalov. Briere left with 283 points in 364 games with the team, and in Bryzgalov's 99 games in Philadelphia, he compiled a .905 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average.

Flyers: July 2

The Flyers signed former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier on the second day of free agency to a five-year, $22.5 million contract. Lecavalier scored 874 points in 1,037 games over 14 seasons with the Lightning.

Flyers: July 5

The Flyers' offseason moves continued three days later when the team signed Ray Emery to a one-year, $1.65 million deal. Emery went 17-1 with a 1.94 goals-against average last season with the Blackhawks. He played for the Flyers in the 2009-10 season.

Flyers: Oct. 7

Head coach Peter Laviolette (left) was fired after starting the 2013-14 season with three losses in which the Flyers scored just one goal apiece. Laviolette went 145-98 in his four-plus seasons with the team. He was succeeded by Flyers assistant coach Craig Berube.

City 6: Jan. 22-26, March 10, Nov. 29

2013 was a big year for Philadelphia college basketball teams to pull upsets. Villanova toppled three top-5 teams, including beating No. 5 Louisville (upper left) and No. 3 Syracuse in four days. La Salle (upper right) used two top-20 wins (No. 9 Butler, No. 19 VCU) in four days to make the NCAA tournament. Temple got in on the fun in March with a key victory over VCU (bottom left). Villanova added another top-five win this season by beating No. 2 Kansas (bottom right).

City 6: Jan. 24

A highlight in an otherwise disappointing 2012-13 Drexel basketball season, then-junior point guard Frantz Massenat (file photo) buried a 50-foot buzzer-beater to lift the Dragons to a 55-52 win over Hofstra.

City 6: March 21-28

La Salle -- a 12-seed in a play-in game -- used steady offense to launch an NCAA tournament run. No play was bigger than then-junior guard Tyrone Garland's game-winning "Southwest Philly floater" to lift the Explorers over Ole Miss and into the Sweet 16, where they lost to Wichita State.